If you haven’t done a good old fashioned record purge recently, now is the perfect time! “What’s the point?” you may be asking, whether you do it now or later this year, or this time next year; after all, shredding is shredding no matter when it gets done, and I suppose there’s some truth in that. You need to make a decision then: do you really want to risk your private information any longer?

Don’t Take Chances

It’s a sad truth that identity theft is on the rise in this country. As things are going it seems like this trend will only be continuing for the foreseeable future. With this in mind, you need to make sure you are taking appropriate steps to keep your private information safe, and to dispose of it properly.

It is a habit of many of us at home to just let our records pile up somewhere out of the way. In a drawer, in a shoe box shoved into the closet and sometimes even just out on a table somewhere. It’s vital that we stop doing this. If we must hold onto records then we need to take proper steps to secure them in a safe place where not just anyone can stumble across and take them.

What Do I Throw Away?

If you’re with us this far, and you decide it’s time to start purging, you’ll need to decide what has to go and what has to stay. A good rule of thumb is to purge everything that has private information on it. Things like medical records, bank statements, accounting records, and even information about your children need to go. If you have doubts on whether or not a specific file needs shredding, don’t take a chance, shred it anyways.

All Right, How Do I Shred?

When it’s shred time, there is one critical mistake people often make: they pull out that old office shredder they have at home and run the papers through that. We implore you not to use one of these machines for several reasons. Their shred pattern is very basic and makes it easy for papers to be reconstructed, they are unable to handle large volumes of paper so shredding takes forever, and they tend to break down which leaves you with an expensive paper weight.

The Solution?

Professional paper shredding services. Professional shredding has several advantages over shredding alone. The industrial grade shredders used will tear through papers, staples, papers clips, and folders with ease. The material is shredded so finely that reconstruction is impossible. Finally, all shredded material is taken to be recycled, keeping it out of the landfill and saving the environment.

If this all sounds good to you, reach out to us here at SAFESHRED and we’ll take care of all your shredding needs.